Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Elba affirms he’s Luther, not Bond
Actor Idris Elba says he’s going to stick with being the tormented detective John Luther — not James Bond.
Speaking Tuesday to the World Government Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Elba brought up the persistent discussions about him taking over as Ian Fleming’s famed British spy. Those calls had grown louder after Daniel Craig’s demise as Bond in the 25th film in the franchise, “No Time to Die.”
When asked about his upcoming film based on the British series “Luther,” Elba clearly took himself out of playing 007.
“It’s very dark,” Elba said of the series. “We’ve been working on the television show for about 10 years, and so the natural ambition is to take it to the big screen, and so we’re here with the first movie.”
He then added, “You know, a lot of people talk about another character that begins with ‘J’ and ends with ‘B,’ but I’m not going to be that guy. I’m going to be John Luther. That’s who I am.”
“Luther: The Fallen
Sun” is due in U.S. theaters Feb. 24 before streaming March 10 on Netflix. The film also co-stars Andy Serkis and other actors from the television series.
In recent weeks, Elba, 50, has appeared at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he and his wife, Sabrina Dhowre Elba, received an award for their work on food security in Africa. Elba also has worked as an anti-crime ambassador with his “Don’t Stab Your Future” initiative in the United Kingdom, where he grew up in east London.
During his talk Tuesday in Dubai, Elba urged nations to invest more in creative industries, saying it can provide an economic engine that provides jobs to their youth. In particular, he said creative jobs could greatly help countries in Africa.
“I believe that Africa, especially as a continent, needs to hold a narrative, change a narrative,” he said.
Stewart to star in Sontag biopic: Susan Sontag is getting a biopic, and Kristen Stewart is set to play the writer-provocateur who died in 2004.
Stewart, 32, has been cast in “Sontag” as the queer feminist icon, a celebrity intellectual of the highest regard, famous for her cultural essays, including “Notes on ‘Camp,’ ” and novels such as “Death Kit” and “In America.”
The drama will be directed by Kirsten Johnson, based on the biography “Sontag: Her Life and Work” by Ben Moser. It will be adapted by Johnson and Lisa Kron.
Fey, Poehler announce comedy tour: Amy Poehler and Tina Fey are hitting the road. Kicking off April 28, the Tina Fey & Amy Poehler: Restless Leg Tour will “celebrate their 30 years of friendship with an evening of jokes, iconic stories and conversational entertainment,” the duo said in a statement.
It’s the first live comedy tour for the friends who became famous on “Saturday Night Live.” Fey, 52, and Poehler, 51, went on to have successful careers in film and television.
Feb. 15 birthdays: Actor Claire Bloom is 92. Songwriter Brian Holland is 82. Composer Henry Threadgill is 79. Actor Jane Seymour is 72. Cartoonist Matt Groening is 69. Actor Christopher McDonald is 69. Actor Alex Borstein is 52. Guitarist Gary Clark Jr. is 39. Actor Amber Riley is 37. Rapper Megan Thee Stallion is 28.